Veeam, Atlanta, GA, United States: Pipeline Generation Initiative

Written answers to the questions

Total 199 words used.

The Pipeline Generation Initiative (PGI) is a demand generation program that was developed to drive meaningful pipeline growth for Veeam’s Sales teams. Originating in the spring of 2020, a program like PGI became a necessity to address pipeline accrual taking a steep nosedive due to the tumultuous time of lockdowns. Furthermore, the company’s legacy of having a product that “just works” meant that for years, sellers could rely on prospects coming to them. It has only been in the last few years that backup vendor competition has stepped up to the plate of modern backup offerings. With a more competitive marketplace, pipeline generation became imperative for the continued success of the company. The program’s framework was developed after executive alignment conversations from Marketing and Sales and a deep analysis of the way sellers used call blocks to drive pipeline, including how they incorporated marketing campaigns in ways that boosted their sales skills while nurturing opportunities at the top of the funnel. PGI created a repeatable model that would serve as a long-term solution that would innovate and iterate to generate pipeline growth leveraging both the Sales and Marketing teams. PGI quickly became a standard best practice for all sellers.

Total 249 words used.

Dashboards and reporting were created in our customer relationship management (CRM) platform to evaluate the effectiveness of PGI. On a weekly basis, everything is monitored and evaluated by key executives. Sellers tag the program in the CRM system to tie the pipeline they built to the PGI program.

After just one quarter, PGI’s success was evident. Initially launching in the Commercial segment, significant and rapid pipeline gains resulted in PGI scaling to other segments. It was estimated that 10-12% of the entire America’s Pipeline was directly attributed to the PGI program in 2020. [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] The gains more than doubled the following year [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]. This success is a direct reflection of the program and the continual evolvement to meet seller needs.

Other evidence of success was seen in the Create & Close data, where pipeline that was created through the program saw closure rates within the same quarter over 30%. This helped the organization’s overall Create & Close rates increase by 2%. This data proves PGI successfully exceeded the organization’s objectives and goals. Feedback from managers and sellers indicate the positive outcomes PGI has provided their teams, including a motivational push to leverage the resources to increase pipeline growth. Sales leaders and executives have commented that this program is a driving force for overall pipeline growth. In comparing the Year over Year Analysis, PGI exceeded expectations and grew by 68% in Q3 of 2022 and 6% YoY.

Total 239 words used.

PGI has bridged the elusive gap between sales and marketing, involving key executives and stakeholders from both functions. Before PGI, awareness of marketing campaigns fell flat with sellers; they were too busy closing business to follow through on marketing campaigns. PGI provided a structured program to address the lack of seller preparedness to act on campaigns. In combination with product enablement, sellers receive training and resources to help them prospect. PGI provides a clear standard of how to build quality pipeline, prioritizing critical and relevant resources that help sellers execute the fastest.   

The program is often recognized as a driving force that keeps pipeline momentum strong; there is a long reaching effect on the overall pipeline due to the program’s resources and target potential. The program is lean and built to adjust to the type of segment and sales team – for new and tenured sellers – it gives both groups exactly what they need to build strong and substantial pipeline.

These significant achievements along with the revenue PGI has brought the company justifies it earning the title of Demand Generation Program of the Year. Before PGI was implemented, sellers did not have the training, enablement, and resources they needed to best position the company’s software using marketing campaigns that had been meticulously designed. PGI is the formalized demand generation program that provides Veeam with a long-term, repeatable model to addresses business needs in an innovative and effective manner.

Total 162 words used.

[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] The PGI Plan Components outlines the Focused Themes with Strategies and Tactical Approaches to support each theme. Each theme is based on industry and company trends to provide the most relevant content for sellers to utilize.

[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] leaders in the business are also included. These leaders see firsthand the positive impact PGI has made on the business and for demand generation.

The progression of YoY results in Q3 saw the biggest uptick in YoY performance. Viewing the data like this allowed us to pinpoint how certain activities affected the eventual pipeline. For example, we tracked when the a new topic/theme is dropped to the sellers, and seeing it takes about 3 weeks to see a spike. We have noted that in regards to overall pipeline health, when we see at least 4-6 major spikes in a quarter, we also see a general overall health of the pipeline and quota attainment.